Thank you for some rather excellent comments, you're all brilliant. I'm running out of finished chapters again, and heading towards my busy week at work. But hopefully I can get some done tonight/tomorrow night and Saturday before my 5 day run of busy begins.
The locker room felt like humidity on the hottest day of the year; restrictive, overwhelming, and way too close. Jane could feel the eyes on her as she changed, could hear the whispers that had been bouncing around since Danny outed her. She hated work – she hated being at work.
"You're with me," Robin said, stopping beside her with her hands on her hips. "We're on the Doyle case. Detective Bristol is briefing the team in ten."
Jane narrowed her eyes. "Don't take this the wrong way, but we've been paired together every day for like a week."
"I noticed." Robin sat on the bench beside her. "I've heard whispers."
"What kinda whispers?" Jane fastened the last couple of buttons on her shirt and tucked it carefully into her pants.
She looked to Jane, then carefully around the room at the officers staring over. "They don't wanna work with you."
"Any of them?"
"Any of them on our shifts."
"Oh." Jane sunk to the bench. Her heart thumped loudly. She gritted her teeth. "I guess I should have expected it. Bunch of homophobic assholes."
"They don't matter, Jane," Robin said, resting a hand on her knee. "You're a great cop. That's what matters."
She rested her hand on top of Robin's and smiled. "Thanks for the support."
Officer Hanson wandered over; a towel wrapped around his waist. "Rizzoli and Burke, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."
Robin rolled her eyes. "Are you still in grade school?"
Jane jumped up and lunged in his direction. "You got a fucking problem?"
"Nah." He whipped off his towel and thrust his groin forwards. "But I wouldn't mind seeing some action. Go on, give her a kiss. Just for me."
Raising her fist, Jane was about to thump him when Robin gripped her arm and pulled her away. "Don't. He's not worth being written up for." She glanced down at his body. "Besides, I saw bigger dicks when I was in middle school."
Hanson's cheeks reddened and he scrambled to pick up his towel. His temple pulsed and his jaw tightened. Jane stared at him, thrilled as he scurried off towards the showers looking like a wounded animal. Her cell buzzed on the bench. She snatched it up and pressed the answer call button.
"Hello, Rizzoli speaking." The line was silent, excepting the sound of heavy breathing. "Hello?" Jane pulled the phone from her ear and glanced at the call ID. "Danny?" She held the phone to her ear again as the line went dead. "Fucking asshole probably butt dialled me."
"You ready?"
"Not really," Jane said, rolling her eyes as she closed her locker and followed Robin.
X
In the Drug Control Unit, Jane and Robin stood against the wall as Detective Bristol briefed the team on the current progress in the Paddy Doyle case.
"We've got eyes on Benito De Meo. There has been suspicion that De Meo has been working for Doyle for some time. His name keeps cropping up in the case files, and it's time we acted. We've got information to suggest he's recruiting his nephew, Alfredo Buckley, to join Doyle. We believe Buckley is the weak link. He's new. He will want to impress Doyle. Now is the time to act. We've got Saar undercover. He's doing what he can to find out more, so that we can get this break."
Once the briefing was over, he handed out assignments, leaving Jane and Robin until the end. Detective Bristol walked over and folded his arms. For the first time since meeting him, he looked right at Jane, ignoring Robin.
"Rizzoli." His lips curved into a smirk. "I hear we've got a traitor in our midst."
Her heart leapt into her throat. She tried to focus on forming words, but they caught in her throat. Nobody in her life knew what she'd done, except Maura and her father. She gripped the sides of her pants and breathed slowly.
"I will admit," he said, grinning. "Doesn't surprise me. You're so…what's the word…assertive. You're one of them lefty feminist types. It's a real shame. I know plenty of men who would be interested if you ever felt like jumping back over the fence. Maybe one of them can convince you to stay."
She gasped for breath as the weight on her chest shifted quickly. She was so shaken she barely even registered Detective Bristol's ridiculous words. He stepped to one side and touched Robin's nose.
"Well, aren't you just as cute as you always are?" He leaned in close. "They've told me I shouldn't touch the ladies' behinds anymore, something to do with sexual harassment and modern times, but if it's alright with you…"
Robin sighed. "It's not alright with me, Sir."
"Well, okay then." He stood upright. "Guess we've two lefty feminists on the team." He looked around the room. "We're on top of everything here. So, you two run along and get everyone some coffee. When you've finished that you can work on the old case files, look for anything useful and organise it properly."
"But we already did that," Jane said. "There was nothing."
He turned around and headed across the room. "Then do it again. Maybe you missed something."
X
Two blocks away from the police station, Jane pulled the hood up on her sweater and slipped down an alley and through the back door of what she'd always assumed was an empty bakery. Paddy Doyle himself met her in the doorway, something she'd been surprised by. She followed him in silence along the corridor and through to what looked like an old canteen.
"I didn't expect you to want to meet so close to the station," Jane said, standing nervously in the doorway as Paddy took a seat at a table. He motioned for her to sit and she took a seat opposite him. "Is this because we raided the warehouse?"
His whole body shook as he started to laugh. He tipped his head back and rolled his eyes. "Oh Jane. You're really not that important. Nor is your little police department. We moved premises and those premises will remain unknown for the time being. I have access to a number of places." He sat back and folded his hands over his stomach. "Now talk. You asked me to come and I don't have all day."
She sat upright, forcing confidence into her voice where she felt little. "Do the names Benito De Meo and Alfredo Buckley mean anything to you?"
Paddy's eyebrows tugged together and for the briefest moment Jane saw a flash of panic. Before she could really be sure, it dissipated again, replaced with his reddening face and the tightness of his jaw.
"Benito is Benny, isn't he?" Paddy cleared his throat. Jane shrugged. "I guess I don't really need to know."
"No. You don't." He clasped his hands on the table and leaned forward. "Tell me what you know."
She relayed everything she'd learned in the briefing, and in the hours that followed. "I know it's not much, but I thought you should know."
Paddy stood up in silence, walked across the room, and poured himself a mug of coffee. He poured a second mug and carried them both over to the table. He placed one in front of Jane and sat down. "What are your intentions?"
"What do you mean?" Jane frowned. "I wanted you to know in case it might help. I know how important loyalty is to you."
He scoffed. "Loyalty. What are your intentions with my daughter?"
"Oh." Jane cleared her throat and sat a little taller. She wrapped her hands around the mug and sipped the coffee slowly. "I didn't know how much you knew about that."
"I know enough."
"I love her." He raised his eyebrows and waited. Jane took a moment's pause to consider her next words. "I gave up my whole family for her. They're not exactly liberal people, not when it comes to this. I love your daughter, and I know she loves me too. I just wanna make her happy."
The silence that followed unsettled Jane. The whole scenario was bizarre, and uncomfortable. She was barely used to seeing Paddy Doyle to do his work, let alone to have such a personal conversation about her love life.
"That's a shame you had to do that." He sighed. "I hope this means that you have no intention of hurting my daughter."
"No, Sir. Never."
X
Back out on the street, Jane lowered the hood of her sweater and marched down the street with the usual spring in her step. She took her cell phone out of her pocket: Danny – 6 missed calls. She groaned. She scrolled down her call log and pressed 'Maura'. The phone rang out for a while until she finally hung up.
They'd been in touch sporadically over the last few days. Jane tried not to let Maura's distance bother her, but something in the way she'd spoken the last time they saw each other had left her uncertain of the future. She wanted to give her space, but she was also scared that too much space would lead to something more.
Approaching her apartment, Jane let out a loud groan. Danny stood on the front step, his hands in his pockets. She gritted her teeth and stomped towards him. "What the fuck are you doing here? Why do you keep calling?"
"I miss you." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close. She struggled as he tried to kiss her. In the end, she turned her head and allowed him to press his lips to her cheek. "I love you, Janie. I wanna marry you."
She pushed him back and he glared at her. "No. Are you fucking deluded? I'm gay. I'm a lesbian. That means I am not interested in you or your fucking ugly dick."
"Don't be like that," he said, reaching towards her face. She stepped back and he lowered his arm. "Come on, Janie. It's all water under the bridge. I forgive you."
"You forgive me?" She scoffed. "I don't fucking forgive you for outing me to everyone I know."
"You're being ridiculous."
"No, I'm not."
"They were gonna find out eventually," he said. "Can we just go inside and talk about this?"
She shook her head and folded her arms. "I don't want you in my apartment."
"How do you expect us to work this out on the fucking street?"
She groaned loudly and clenched her fists. "Are you fucking kidding me? Do you want another punch in the nose or was one not enough for you?"
"What did you fucking say to me?" he asked, gripping her upper arm so hard that she let out a yelp. She struggled under his grip. "Are you fucking serious right now? You fucked a woman, in front of me. You cheated on me, Jane. You led me on and made me think we were gonna be together forever. If anyone deserves to be hit, it's you."
She kicked him hard in the shin, then followed it up with another swift kick until he crumbled to the floor. "You fucking dyke." He rubbed his shin then jumped back up to his feet and sprang forward.
Her heart beat so fast it felt like it was trying to fight its way out of her chest. She looked over her shoulder as she struggled to get the door open. She rushed into the building and slammed the door, but he was already at the top of the steps. She pushed him back a couple of times, then slammed the door closed. She stared at him as he banged against the glass, her heart in her throat.
"Don't you fucking walk away from me you fucking lesbian. This is not over; do you hear me? This ain't fucking over! I will fuck you up."